Putin’s rating at two-year high for second consecutive week – pollsters

According to an early March poll the Russian President’s rating remains at its highest in the last two years and researchers list the Sochi Olympics and moves for a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis as possible reasons.

Almost 68 percent of Russians approve of the work of President
Vladimir Putin, reads the report published by the WCIOM
All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. The respondents named
two major events as having an effect. 53 percent say it's the
ongoing political crisis in Ukraine, including the situation on
the Crimean Peninsula. 42 percent say the main event of the past
few weeks was the successful completion of the Sochi Olympics,
and the preparations for the Paralympic Games.

A similar poll conducted in late February also indicated that
public support for the Russian President was at the same level of
just below 68 percent. This is the highest index since May 2012
when Putin’s inauguration boosted public support to 68.8 percent.

After the violent change of power in Ukraine led to turmoil
across the country, the Russian president got approval from the
upper house of parliament to sanction the use of military force
to protect Russian citizens and the Russian-speaking population
in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in south-east Ukraine. Among
them are 16,000 military servicemen stationed on Russian military and navy bases.
Russian speakers make up over 60 percent of the population in
Crimea that was handed over to the Ukrainian republic in mid-50s
by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

During the press conference held earlier this week Putin said
that while the legal move opened the opportunity for military
involvement in Crimea, there was no necessity for such a step.
The Russian leader added that accepting Crimea into the Russian
Federation was out of the question.

The legislature of Crimean Republic on Thursday voted to hold a
referendum on March 16 n which the residents will answer the
questions whether they want the region to remain part of Ukraine,
or if they want it to become part of Russia.